Digging beyond the census entries

Links, 5.31.11

The flags flew, the barbecues went into overdrive, the white shoes came out. Goodness, how exhausting. Time for some soothing links.

Write idea: I love seeing Kimberly Powell sing the praises of Scrivener, a tool which makes sprawling writing projects manageable with an interface that gathers all sorts of research materials in one easily accessible place. I first learned about Scrivener through a novel-writing group and now it’s a family thing. Mr. Archaelogist uses it for insurance industry research reports. Our resident students have used it for grade school papers. Check out Kimberly’s thoughts on how genealogists can use it too.

False cheer: An intriguingly scathing letter to the Irish Times begs to differ on the “positive portrayals of the Irish diaspora in the United States.” It’s more a reaction to general misty-eyed rhapsodizing about Celtic lads and lasses making good than to the zillion stories about the Obamas’ ancestry that overran Ireland last week.

Help wanted: There is an opening for a full-time genealogist at the D.A.R.’s Registrar Office in Washington, D.C. (Imagine if The Office had taken place there! On second thought, maybe not.) h/t Leland Meitzler.